Manchester United fans slam scandalouis cost of Champions League final tickets

06 May 2011 06:23

Manchester United fans have slammed the 'scandalous' cost of Champions League final tickets.

A family of four will have to spend nearly ?1,500 on tickets and travel to watch Sir Alex Ferguson's side face Barcelona at Wembley, 43 years after Matt Busby's team beat Benfica at the same ground to win the club's first European Cup.

A programme, food at the stadium and souvenirs will push the cost closer to ?2,000. Applications start today for the 25,000 tickets allocated to the club, with the most expensive seat costing ?300. The cheapest ticket is ?80 and a three per cent charge will be added for people paying by card.

Fansof the Premier League leaders expressed their 'disgust' at the prices set by UEFA, the fact that tickets have to be collected in person from Old Trafford and the 25,000 seats set aside for the 'European football family', which includes corporate sponsors.

AManchester United Supporters' Trust spokesman said: 'We all knew it wascoming after expensive tickets for the finals in Moscow and Rome but itremains a scandal. When fans have already shelled out a packet over a long season, and at a time when many are making season-ticket renewals, it is a real strain for many.'

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has also criticised the pricing, and even UEFA president Michel Platini has admitted they got the pricing wrong.

Enlarge Whopping: One ticket was selling for over ?7,000 on this ticket website

THE GOOD OLD DAYSPat Connor, a semi-retired taxi driver from Wythenshawe in Manchester, paid just 10 shillings (50p) to watch Unitedbeat Benfica at Wembley in 1968. That is the equivalent of around ?6.50 today.

The 72-year-old said: 'Five of us drove down in a Ford Zephyr, leaving at 10in the morning.

'We shared the cost of petrol and it couldn't have been more than ?4 there and back.

'In those days you just went to Old Trafford and queued up to get a ticket.'

He said: 'Perhaps in the future we have to have another category for families that is less expensive. But if you put those on the black market how much will they cost?'

Platini's words proved prophetic yesterday, with one ?140 ticket being posted on globalticketmarket.com for ?6,000 - plus a ?1,088 booking fee. A number were also listed on eBay, with one user asking ?6,600 for two tickets.

A UEFA spokesman said such transactions were illegal and threatened court action but conceded it would be very difficult to trace. 'We wouldadvise fans to only buy tickets through official channels,' he said. 'The only tickets that are left are to be sold individually by the clubs.'

Those lucky enough to get a ticket will have to go to Old Trafford with their passport to collect it, as per UEFA rules.

A family would need to pay ?1,236 for four top-category seats, while open return rail fares from Manchester to London will cost a further ?210.

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